Suction gas-producing apparatus.



PATENTED MAY 26 H. H. RALPH. SUGTION GAS PRODUGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JULYB, 1907.

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WITNESSES:

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HARRY H. RALPH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUCTION GAS-PRODUCIN G APPARATUS.

No.v 888,532.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Application led July 3, 1907. Serial No. 381,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY H. RALPH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Suction Gas-Producing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide apparatus forenriching coal-gas for fuel for engines with steam vapors; to generate such vapors by the heat of the products of combustion; to introduce such vapors beneath the charge of coal upon the grate, and to cause said vvapors and coal-gas to commingle within the apparatus to fix the gas for exhaustion from the apparatus by suction. y

Other ob `ects of the invention relate to certain details of construction of the apparatus and to the combinations and arrangements of parts, all of which will be described herein and pointed out in the claims.-

The invention stated in general terms comprises the improvements to be presently described and iinally claimed. i

The nature, characteristic features and scope of my invention -will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which Figure 1, is a view in elevation, principally in section of apparatus embodying the invention, and Fig. 2, is a detail of construction.

In the drawings the gas producer is shown as comprising a series of superposed structures, of which the base forming the ash pit is designated a, the combined combustion gas-generating and fixing chamber b, the

water jacket c, and the fuel feeding hopper d.v

Each of these parts is shell-like casmgs and suitably bolted together. The casing comprising the base a, is provided with a grate bar e, shown as being supported by suitable lugs carried by the casing. Access may be had to the interior of the base by means of the door f, which in turn is equipped with a stoke 'hole g, covered by a spring controlled pivotal Hap L. As shown in Fig. 2, this flap is pivotally secured to the door f, by means of an elongated pintle h1, and may be readily pushed aside for stoking purposes. ASecured to the outer end of the pintle h1, and spirally embracing the same is a spring h2, adapted to normally press the flap h, against the door f. Carried by the casing of the ash pit and communicating with the interior thereof, is a blower i, of any well known construction for initially starting the fire in the apparatus.

A waste pipe j, is shown as leading from the ash pit to a refuse well jl. A baille plate 7'2, is provided for preventing clogging of the inlet of said pipe. Within the shelllike casing inclosing the gasgenerating chamber b, is a lining of fire brick b1, having interposed between the same and the casing a second lining of mineral wool, as b2. This generating chamber, which is also the combustion and Iixing chamber for the fuel employed in making the gas, is adapted to develop suflicient heat to be utilized in producing vaporization within the water jacket c, whose interior walls form a continuation of the chamber b.

The water jacket construction may be said to be of general cylindrical form considered upon its exterior, while its interior walls constitute a hollow cylinder terminating in an inverted frustum of a cone, the space between these walls forming. the water s ace which is normally open to atmospheric air by reason of the opening c1. Cold water is fed to the base of the water jacket, through the valved pipe c2. `Cold air may be admitted as at c3, and excess of heated water may pass olf through a piped connection to the base of the ash pit. As shown this piped connection comprises a T-union communicating with the water jacket and constituting an air inlet and water outlet and terminates in a pipe section having a seal c4, thelower end of which is immediately above the funnel-like extension of a pipe section having a seal c5. Such a construction affords convenient means for ascertaining the quantity of water passing through the apparatus. Leading from the water jacket above its water level is a short pipe section c, communicating with the valved vapor pipe c7, which communicates with the base a, directlybeneath the iire grate e. The vapor pipe c7, extends above the short pipe section c, and is provided with a valve inlet cs, for the admission of cold air when desired. The gas pipe c, for carrying off the products of combustion, after they have commingled with the steam vapors from the water jacket, is shown as leading from the upper portion of the chamber b, or more properly speaking from the upper part of the interior casing inclosing the water space of the jacket.

y the valve lc, of"the gas line is above this section In practice the gas line passes to a scrub` ber, thence to a holder, from which it is passed to a gas engine, all of which are of well known construction and not illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In this connection it may be remarked that any deposit passing through the gas line may find its way to the refuse pit jl, by way of the piping jS. Penetrating the top plate d1, of the water jacket, is a hollow cylindrical section d2, extending downwardly into the combustion and generating chamber l), and which serves as means for guiding fuel from the hopper d, to the combustion and generating chamber. The hopper d, which is located immediately d2, is provided with a discharge opening forming a valve seat d3, against which is normally seated a valve d4, carried by a valve stem d5, operating through a spider d6. Engaging the upper end of the valve stem, is a weighted bell-crank lever 17, whereby a charge of fuel may be fed to the combustion chamber by lowering the valve d1. The hopper may be covered by means of a pivotally arranged lid d8.

To prepare the apparatus for making gas, closed and the valve l, of the smoke oif take l1 opened, as is the valve om of the pipe c7. The water jacket is then filled with water by way of the pipe c2, and a fire to initially start the apparatus built in the usual Way, during which step the blower i, may be used to advantage, assisted by air entering by way of the pipe c7, and smoke esca ing through the pipe c9 and smoke pipe 1. Charges of coal may now be intermittently admitted from the hopper d, the valve cs, in the mean time having been closed as Well as the valve Z, and the valve 7c, opened.

In the charging of the apparatus it will be noted that the discharge opening is normally closed, thus keeping heat within the combustion chamber. The heat within the combustion chamber serves to heat the water in the water jacket to the boiling point, but not in the sense of being under pressure as the water jacket is open to atmospheric air through the vent c1 which is provided with a valve which may be slightly opened whenl there is too much pressure in the water jacket. The vapors created in the water jacket traverse the pipe c7 and find their way beneath the grate e, where the vapors are decomposed and are taken upin the combustion chamber, where they are cominingled with the products of combustion generated from the coal fuel for enriching same to make a combustible fuel. Thus, I am enabled to produce and fix in a single chamber a gas suitably enriched and which may be caused to pass by way of the gas line c, to a gas engine through suction by means of the operation of said engine. Should ignition of gases occur within the apparatus, the spring controlled flap h, will serve to permit a blow-off of internal pressure. Likewise should the apparatus become unduly hot, cold air may be admitted by the valve opening cs. What I claim is l. The combination of a combined coml bustion gas generating and fixing chamber, a va orizer located above said chamber provic ed with means located above the water line of said vaporizer for exhausting excess of steam to the atmosphere, and piped connections extending from the vaporizer above and below the water line thereof, `the u ward extension being provided with a valve lor the admission of atmospheric air and the downward extension being projected to a oint beneath the fuel bed of the aforesaid cliainlating valve.

2. Apparatus of the class described comprising a combined combustion gas generator and fixing chamber, a vaporizer provided with means located above the water line for exhausting excess of steam to the atmosphere7 a water overflow connection from said vaporizer to the base of the apparatus, said overflow connection being provided with a sight flow, and a double trap whereby atmosphere is prevented from reaching the base of the apparatus through said connection, and whereby an even flow of water is maintained in the upper connection, and a piped connection having regulating valves for conveying va or from said vaporizer to a point beneath the fuel bed of the ap aratus.

3. Apparatus of t e class described comprising a combined combustion, gas generating and fixing chamber, a shell mounted above the chamber having a passage therethrough forming a continuation of the said chamber, said shell being provided with a with means located above the water line for exhausting excess of steam to the atmosphere, a plate for covering the o en end of said shell, a hopper having a disdliarge outlet carried by said late, a valve for normally closing said c ischarge outlet, a gas main leading from the interior of said shell, and piped connections for conveying vapor from said vaporizer to a point beneath the fuel bed of said chamber, said connection being provided with a valve for communicating with the atmosphere, and a second valve for regulating the passage of the vapor.

4. Apparatus of the class described coinprising a series of superposed shell-like structures consisting of a base forming an ash pit, a combined combustion, gas generating and fixing chamber, a water jacket and a hopper, a lire grate supported in the base, means for intermittently gravitating fuel to the iire grate, a piped connection from the water jacket to a point beneath said grate for introducing vapor to the gas generating chamber,

ber and being provided with a vapor reguwater space forming a vaporizer provided piped connections for introducing air and Water to said Water jacket and for exhausting an overflow therein to the ash pit, and a gas main for exhausting the fixed gas from apparatus.

5. The combination of a combined combustion gas generating and fixing chamber, a vaporizer located above said chamber provided With means located above the Water line of the vaporizer for exhausting excess of steam to the atmosphere said vaporizer being equipped with a piped connection having a regulating valve for conveying vapor from the vaporizer to a point beneath the fuel bed of the aforesaid chamber and means operatively arranged with respect to the piped connection at a point above the Water line of the vaporizer for the admission of atmospheric air whereby air and vapor may commingle and be re ulated prior to admission below the fuel be In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

HARRY H. RALPH.

Witnesses:

G. ERNEST CHARLES, W. J. JAoxsoN. 

